


Media Sweethearts

by Aurum



Category: ROBOT x LASERBEAM (Manga)
Genre: Humor, Interviews, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 00:01:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13042308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurum/pseuds/Aurum
Summary: The golf media have been interested in Youzan since middle school, so maybe he should've expected his love life to play out on national TV.





	Media Sweethearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sannlykke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sannlykke/gifts).



It's not like Youzan spent three years waiting and pining for his rival — he's had other things to do, like training and getting stronger and winning overseas tournaments. Still, he sometimes wondered what it was going to be like when Robato joined the pro circuit, and if he even still remembered about their promise. In his low moments he thought that if nothing else — even if Robato didn't care about playing Youzan anymore — surely he would at least be worse at interviews.

That both does and doesn't turn out to be true. Judging from the few interviews he's given so far, Robato is very much himself in front of the camera: outwardly emotionless and flat, seemingly the polar opposite of those golfers who aspire to be idols. And yet, according to the press, he comes across as "serious but quirky," and the interviewers seem to enjoy drawing the short and blunt answers out of him. He's not at all like Youzan, who's just plain awkward in interviews, even if nobody describes him like that on paper.

Robo's come in third place this time, but the interviewer has nothing but praise for him. "Following your spectacular debut, you've had very good results. A great start to your first pro season!"

Robato blinks at the microphone thrust at his face, then says, "I didn't win, though." There's a low hiss from offscreen and he glances to the side quickly. "But thank you," he adds, back to the reporter.

"With you poised to take the golf scene by storm," she continues, the phrasing clashing with Robato's blank face so much that it draws a snort from Youzan, "everyone's curious about the new star. When did you become interested in golf?"

"In my first year of high school," Robo replies.

Youzan remembers Robato from that time, his straightforward "I don't care about golf." A lot has changed since then — for Youzan too, but especially for Robo.

"That's when you joined your school's golf club, right?"

"Yes."

"With you as a regular, your school's had many successes on both the regional and national stage," the interviewer rattles off, apparently having decided that it's easier to do the info dump herself rather than try to draw every bit out of Robato. "But not every high school athlete goes on become a professional player, especially right out of school. What inspired you to become a pro?"

"It was Youzan-kun," Robo replies with no hesitation, and Youzan draws in a breath as his heart picks up tempo.

The interviewer pauses for a second, then dives in with renewed vigor. "Do you mean Miura Youzan? You're the same age as him, right?"

"Yes."

"Were you inspired by his success and wanted to follow in his footsteps?"

Robato blinks at her as if he doesn't quite get the question, and then he says, "I was inspired by his golf. Youzan-kun is an amazing person and I really want to play him again."

Youzan mostly loses the rest of the interview to the sound of blood rushing in his ears. It's no huge loss, since he already knows the circumstances behind their first game, can recall the sound of Robo hitting the ball with crystal clarity. And it's going to happen again; he's sure of it now that he knows Robato still wants it as much as Youzan does.

The interview ends with a solemn nod from Robo, and Youzan has to unclench his fist to turn off the broadcast after it changes to something uninteresting. He basks in the anticipation for a moment, then gets up to work out some of the adrenaline in the gym.

More training can't hurt, especially if Robato got as good as Youzan hopes he did.

*

It takes the media about two hours to connect it to Youzan's interview of a few years ago, given shortly after he'd played Robato, and run with the story. Youzan learns of it when he makes the ill-advised decision to pick up a call from Suzaku.

"They're calling him your fated rival!" Suzaku cries, oozing melodrama through the video connection.

Youzan makes a noncommittal hum, but that sounds about right.

"How dare they! How can they publish such horrible lies? You can only have one fated rival, and that's me!"

"No," Youzan says, with feeling, and it's about as much as he can get in before Suzaku's off again.

"And who does he think he is, saying all that? As if he has any claim on my You-kun. I saw you first!"

"That's not how it works," Youzan says, not sure why he even tries, since there's no stopping Suzaku's theatrics anyway. He hasn't managed it in over three years, so he really should know better.

True to form, Suzaku lets out an anguished wail, and continues ranting about Robato's inadequacy as a player, as a rival, and, bafflingly, as a driver. It's all the more puzzling since Youzan knows for a fact that Suzaku actually likes Robo. Well, as much as Suzaku ever likes anyone, beyond his overwhelming desire to mess with people like they're his toys.

"Didn't you bring him to his debut game in your helicopter?" Youzan asks when Suzaku pauses for breath.

"I did," Suzaku agrees, as if that makes perfect sense with his rant and is just a thing normal people do. Then his mouth stretches into an unsettling grin. "Are you jealous, You-kun?"

" _No._ "

"You don't need to be! Just say one word and I'll fly to you! I'll take you in my helicopter any time you like."

"No, thank you," Youzan says firmly, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment as if that will keep the disturbing mental images away. "Goodbye," he adds and taps to end the call, interrupting Suzaku mid-word.

Before he can close the app, a message from Suzaku pops up, consisting of green hearts (for jealousy) and a few helicopter emoji. Youzan scowls at it, irritated and definitely not jealous.

What's there to be jealous about? Certainly not Suzaku's attention — Youzan gets too much of it as it is, and the idea of being stuck high above the ground with Suzaku is a vision of hell. If anything, what's unfair is that Suzaku gets to give Robato rides and watch him compete in person, even though Suzaku lives halfway across the world now and despite the fact that it's Youzan who's Robato's fated rival.

Still, Youzan is not jealous. He might, however, be a bit of a hypocrite.

*

Predictably, Youzan gets accosted by the press the next time he steps foot on a golf course. It's a small mercy that they let him finish his practice first.

"Three years ago you said in an interview that you'd found your rival. Now a new arrival to the pro golf scene made everyone wonder: could it be him? So please tell us, Miura-san, did you mean Hatohara Robato?"

He was expecting to get the question the very next time someone stuck a microphone in his face, so he doesn't hesitate before replying, "Yes."

The reporter's smile stretches wider. "Do you still feel that way? Or did you find a new rival in the meantime?"

A line he prepared earlier should fit here. "I've been waiting for Robato to reach this stage, and I look forward to playing him again now that he's here," Youzan recites, very glad for his foresight.

"That's true commitment! He's made you wait for a long time, though. And it looks like you both will need to wait a while longer, with you headed away for a tour overseas. Would you say you two are star-crossed rivals, then?"

"Um," Youzan says, ending his streak of two whole answers without stuttering. "Yes?"

The interviewer launches into well-wishes for their fated encounter. Thankfully that doesn't require more input from Youzan, so he just nods and says his thank-yous before escaping towards the locker room.

He's counting on at least an hour of reprieve on account of timezones and the somewhat vain hope that Suzaku has a life beyond stalking him from across the ocean, but he's barely taken off his shoes before his phone buzzes in his pocket. He takes it out with a sigh, and then he decides to be kind to himself and rejects the call.

Suzaku sends him a long string of crying emoji, followed by _What have I done to deserve this cold, cold treatment from my You-kun?_

 _Literally everything_ , Youzan thinks. He doesn't send it though, since with Suzaku that would only count as encouragement.

*

Naturally, the topic comes up the next time Robato gets interviewed. The reporter barely mentions the day's game and Robo's score before Youzan's name makes an appearance.

"Miura Youzan said you're star-crossed rivals," she says, which is — well, not exactly untrue, but she makes it sound kind of weird. "Do you agree?"

Robato stares at her blankly for a moment, then turns to his side to ask, "Do you think it applies, Tomoya?"

The camera pans out to show his friend, who looks like a deer caught in the headlights. He sends a nervous glance at the camera and clears his throat. "Um, I guess it's taking you guys a lot of time to play each other again, so kind of? Maybe?"

"Doesn't it imply a tragic ending?" Robo asks after a moment of contemplation.

"Um," Tomoya says again, looking none too happy about the sudden quiz on national television. Youzan can relate. "Not necessarily… I think?"

The interviewer swoops back in like a hawk that's spotted its prey, jabbing the microphone in Robato's direction. "You're aiming for a happy ending, then?"

"Yes, of course," Robato replies simply. He glances at Tomoya when his friend makes a strangled noise. "I want to win," he adds.

It's a fairly standard interview overall, if playing the rivalry card very insistently, but it leaves Youzan feeling weirdly embarrassed, even if he doesn't know why. It's not second-hand embarrassment for Robo, who did at least as well as he always does, and even Tomoya's slightly awkward performance was a good sight as it showed his obvious support for Robato. It must be nice to have somebody to turn to when the questions get weird. Maybe Youzan should see if his caddie would be willing to join him for the interviews for an extra percentage of his winnings.

It's only some time later that he gets it, and to add insult to injury, it involves Suzaku yet again. He sends Youzan a voicemail of himself sobbing for a few minutes, as well as some broken heart emoji accompanied by a link leading to an article.

 _Will the star-crossed rivals get a happy ending?_ asks the title, and underneath it there are photos of Youzan and Robato staring into the distance. In reality they were probably tracking the course of the ball, but the photos are filtered with soft light and paired together in a way that makes them look… well, romantic. That's definitely the word that comes to mind, and a quick skim of the article reveals that it even makes references to Tanabata.

Youzan drops his face into his hands, almost burning himself with how hot his cheeks feel. He breathes deeply for a moment until the pounding in his chest slows down to a normal rhythm, and then he looks up again, determined to read the article properly.

It's not actually serious about the romantic overtones; that's just meant to make their rivalry look more dramatic. But it puts the idea in Youzan's mind, or maybe just pulls it to the forefront, and Youzan is, historically, pretty bad at not taking things he likes seriously. And he does like it — now that he's thinking about it, he's probably liked Robato since the first time he saw him get serious about golf, before Robato even knew that was what he did. It adds a new kind of anticipation for their next meeting, and that's not bad at all. Playing golf on the world stage with the person he likes sounds like the best thing ever.

The one thing it might make harder is looking Robato straight in the eye.

*

It takes quite a bit of time, but the day of their rematch finally comes. Youzan couldn't have forgotten the date if he tried, since everyone and their mother has been intent on interviewing him about it in the past few weeks.

But he didn't need the reminders, and he doesn't need the hype the media built up around this game. There's been a buzz of excitement under his skin from the moment he arrived at the course, and it only intensifies when Tanaka, his caddie, brings him the news that Robato is here already. It's the closest they've been in years, and if he gets his way, they're about to get a lot closer still — if only because they'll be finishing the tournament in the last group together.

Youzan steps out of the locker room and takes a deep breath, drawing in air and willing it to help settle his emotions a bit, at least until he actually sees Robo. And it seems like that's gonna be happening even sooner than expected, since Tomoya finds Youzan on his way to warm up.

"Hello, Youzan-kun," he says, casting a quick glance around. "Could you, uh, join me for a minute?"

Youzan follows him, and Tomoya predictably leads him to Robato, who's standing somewhat hidden behind a copse of trees. "Hi, Youzan-kun," he says. "It's good to see you."

It feels like Youzan hasn't been able to turn on golf news without seeing Robo's face lately, but it's still different to see him in person. The last time they met, Robato was still a beginner, but now he's a professional athlete and the golf outfit fits him the same way it fits Youzan. It's good to see him too, not least because he looks good, and this secret meeting away from prying eyes isn't helping Youzan to keep his mind strictly on golf. He nods and returns the greeting.

"I promised to return your lucky coin when we met," Robo says, raising his hand and opening his palm to show the coin.

"Oh. Yeah, thanks." Youzan reaches out to take it, his fingers unavoidably brushing over Robato's skin in the process. The blush rising on his own skin seems equally unavoidable.

"I also wanted to talk to you about another thing," Robato adds. "Tomoya brought to my attention that the way the press has been writing about us carries romantic undertones."

"Um," says Tomoya, "I'm just gonna…" He shuffles off to the side, giving Youzan an excuse to look away from Robo for a second.

"Um," he echoes, clearing his throat. "Yeah."

"I've given it a lot of thought since then," Robato continues, while Youzan's heart gives a solid _thump_ in his chest, "and I'd like to propose a bet."

"A bet?"

It didn't seem possible for Robo to stand even straighter, but he manages it now. "If I win our match, would you allow me to take you out on a date?"

Youzan blinks at him for a moment, and then his eyes stray to Robo's shoulder as his face grows even warmer. "Uh," he says, cursing himself internally. When he looks up again, Robato's just watching him patiently. He takes a breath and says, "Okay. But I don't intend to lose."

"Of course." Robo nods. "We should both give our all in the match, otherwise it wouldn't be a good game."

There's no incentive that could make Youzan want to lose at golf, but it doesn't hurt to have added motivation to _win._ There's still the question of his reward, so Youzan opens his mouth to say, "Then, if I win, _I_ will take _you_ out on a date."

Robato stares at him for a second, his eyes seeming to grow just a bit larger. "Ah," he says, and then, quickly, "I accept the conditions."

They shake hands to seal the deal. Then Robo not-too-subtly flashes a thumbs-up at Tomoya, who returns the gesture and sends a shaky smile at Youzan when he catches him looking. Youzan nods at him and turns back to Robato.

"Let's meet in the last group in two days," he says.

"Yes, let's," Robo agrees, and then they go their separate ways for now.

Youzan makes his way back to his starting spot, pleased with the solution he came up with. It's not until he's making his first warm-up swing that it hits him. If he wins, as he fully intends to do, he'll have to come up with a plan for a date with Robato.

"Miura-san? Is everything okay?" his caddie asks, probably alarmed by the sound Youzan made when he slapped his hand onto his face.

"Yes," Youzan replies after taking a deep breath. "Everything's fine."

Tanaka looks at him for a moment, seeming a bit doubtful. He looks like a person who's been on dates before and knows how they're supposed to go, unlike Youzan, whose mind unhelpfully skips straight to post-date activities. Finally Tanaka nods and takes the club back from Youzan, exchanging it for another.

The speakers spill an announcement of the minutes remaining to the start of the game, and a momentary hush falls around Youzan. But even as the tension rises among the people gathered around, Youzan can feel his shoulders relax at the reminder. It's time to focus on golf now, and that's the thing that Youzan does best. He can worry about the rest later.

And if worse comes to worst, maybe his caddie will accept an extra 5% in exchange for dating advice.


End file.
